Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for July 15th, 2021. There are a whole lot of new games today, and the quality is truly all over the map. I’d say the best of the bunch is Rogue Star Heroes, but you might find other things among the new releases depending on your tastes. Not in the list but of note is that the DLC for Streets of Rage 4 is now available for $7.99. If you liked what you got in the base game, there’s no reason not to grab those extra characters and modes to keep the party going. Rounding things out, we’ve got some new sales and the list of expiring discounts for you to mull over. Let’s get our hands dirty! And then wash them, because good hygiene is important!
New Releases
Rogue Star Rescue ($14.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Here’s a cool one for you to check out. Rogue Star Rescue is a roguelite shooter similar to things like Enter the Gungeon but with a tower defense component that reminds me a tiny bit of Dungeon of the Endless. There are various heroes to choose from, a persistent leveling system to dig into, lots of gear to find and use, and lots of different endings based on which path you take through the planets. A second player can join in via local or online multiplayer, and that’s a hoot too. It’s not quite on the upper level of roguelite shooters, but it’s close enough that fans of the genre will definitely want to check it out.
Arcade Archives Darwin 4078 ($7.99)
This 1986 release from the folks at Data East kicked off the short but somewhat popular Darwin shoot-em-up series. The sequel, Super Real Darwin, is already available on the Switch through the Johnny Turbo line. Like its follow-up, this game’s gimmick involves evolving your ship as you play. Just like in Charles Darwin’s famous book, The Origin of the Spaceships. There are tons of different forms to achieve, and that’s the most interesting point of this affair. Hamster has done its usual good work in porting it, so there isn’t a whole lot to talk about there. Another decent vertical shoot-em-up on a platform absolutely awash in them.
Junkyard Builder ($4.99)
Ever wanted to run your own junkyard? No? Well. Well that puts this game in a bit of a pickle, doesn’t it? The whole selling point is that you get to take over a junkyard, separate the garbage, clean stuff up and sell what you can, and reinvest in your business. But if you never wanted to run a junkyard in the first place, I don’t know what we can really do here. Because if you’re not already predisposed to it, I’m probably not going to be able to convince you. Ooh, do a makeover on a rusty car. Gather corroded pipes and sell them. It’s not exactly blasting away an alien invasion is it? But if you’ve ever wanted to get the feel for how this essential service in our modern society works on a general level, here you go. Five bucks for a walk in someone else’s shoes.
Macrotis: A Mother’s Journey ($11.99)
This is a puzzle-platformer that aims at weaving a dramatic tale but falls well short of the mark. You play as a mother bilby searching for her lost children who got separated from her in a storm. It seems like a tough task, but then a wizard gives you magic. Look, just roll with it. The story is always present and regrettably it’s just not very good. Some of the abilities at your disposal are inventive, but they aren’t really used to their full potential. It’s too bad because I love the game’s vibrant look, and some of the puzzles aren’t too shabby. That said, with all of its flaws in tow it’s a bit hard to recommend.
Guild of Darksteel ($14.99)
You play as an immortal mercenary in this very grim and proper side-scrolling action-adventure game. It’s inspired by cinematic platformers like Flashback and its ilk, but the slice-em-up action looks a little more straightforward than you often see in games like that. You can unlock new combos and level them up as you go, increasing your combat prowess. You’ll also meet a wide variety of characters with their own motives and interests. It looks pretty cool, but I haven’t had a chance to play it yet and I can’t seem to find much chatter about it anywhere, so I can’t say whether or not it lives up to its promise. I’ll give it a shot and if I find it particularly good I’ll let you know.
Akinofa ($4.99)
It’s another one of those roguelite horizontal shoot-em-ups along the lines of things like Steredenn. Kill enemies, collect gold, and use it to buy permanent upgrades to help you get a little farther on the next run. You play as a weird ghost-fish thing, and I guess I’ll give it points for that. There’s support for online leaderboards, so if you’re into the whole score-chasing thing in games like this, you’re covered. If nothing else, it’s certainly affordable.
Car Wash – Cars & Trucks Garage Game for Toddlers & Kids ($9.99)
So you’ve got twenty-five different vehicles here, and you have to clean them. You have a variety of tools to use to that end. You can only play this in handheld mode as it requires touch controls. It’s really just a matter of grabbing each tool and swiping them across the vehicle. No real skill required, so even young kids can have some fun with it. I’m not going to pretend this aimed at me, and it’s probably not aimed at you either. But if you’ve got some very little ones around and don’t mind handing them your Switch, they might have some fun with this. Maybe.
Dark Fantasy: Jigsaw Puzzle ($4.99)
What can I really say about these frequent jigsaw puzzle game releases? You get twenty different fantasy-themed jigsaw puzzles to work on, and you can play each of them with varying numbers of pieces depending on your preferences. There are a few little bells and whistles, but that’s the long and short of it. The game requires touch controls, so you have to play this in handheld mode. I’m not going to drag this out any longer by trying to find new things to say. Jigsaw puzzles. Take them or leave them.
Our Battle Has Just Begun! Episode 1 ($9.99)
You’re going to see as we go along, but today is a day for games that start a story and don’t finish them. In this visual novel, you play as a hero who regains memories of a past life just as he delivers the killing blow on the Demon King. Now on your triumphant journey back home, you’ll stop in various places and meet the people who cheered you on. But is the adventure really over? I’ll be honest with you, friends: the title has me questioning that somewhat. There are some choices to make along the way, so this isn’t entirely a passive reading experience. With an interesting premise and some nice art, this one may appeal to fans of fantasy visual novels. Just don’t expect any closure.
Lotus Reverie: First Nexus ($15.99)
A visual novel with some time management elements woven in, Lotus Reverie invites you to choose how to spend your limited time in a survival game where only one pair can survive. Depending on what you do, you’ll form bonds with different characters and learn new things. Rather well-written for what it is, and very interesting to play. There’s just one fly in the proverbial ointment, and it’s hinted at in that subtitle. This is just the first part of a larger story, and as such the ending of this part is such an incredible buzzkill that I really can’t go without mentioning it. You won’t get any resolution of any kind until more chapters of this are released. Given the four year gap between this game and the developer’s previous game, you might be waiting a while. If you’re okay with that, then by all means proceed.
Lambs on the Road: The Beginning ($2.99)
This is a very short puzzle adventure game where you play as a sad dad named John who is trying to find his daughter Mary in a post-apocalyptic world full of cannibals and scarce on resources. It takes about a half hour to play through the whole thing, so don’t expect to get much out of it other than a taste of what a bigger game could potentially offer. If this sells well, there will apparently be more. It’s from the makers of Eternum Ex, which has a reasonably dedicated following. I mean, it’s only three bucks. I can’t really say too much against an original effort launching at that price, even if it’s short and doesn’t really go anywhere exciting.
Dark Nights with Poe & Munro ($12.99)
Of all the kinds of games I expected to make a comeback in this day and age, FMV games are perhaps the most surprising. Well, there is a certain cheesy charm to them, I suppose. This one follows two radio hosts who are also lovers as they get into trouble solving mysteries across six different episodes. You guide the conversations, leading to various outcomes for each episode. Some puzzles are solved with a timed point-and-click thing. You get almost five hours of video in this one, which is plenty of bang for your buck. I’m not really that into FMV games that aren’t Capcom’s magnum opus Fox Hunt, so I don’t really have much to say about this game’s quality. Even with the light comeback, I suspect FMV adventure fans can’t afford to be picky.
Wizodd ($4.99)
JanduSoft’s latest release touts to be “inspired by The Binding of Isaac but without blood and more magic" and looking at the character art, yeah, I can see it. Now obviously, one does not simply imitate The Binding of Isaac and come up with gold. But with thirty-five US dollars separating this game’s price and the price of its source of inspiration, it can afford to come up a bit short. It seems pretty straightforward as these sorts of things go. You control your little wizard and use your magic to make monsters go boom. Get upgrades, find gear, and do whatever you must in order to survive until the next floor of the dungeon. There are certainly worse ways to spend a fiver today.
Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective ($11.99)
We all remember Where’s Wally/Waldo? books, right? There have been a few games that offered up that kind of idea like Hidden Folks and Hidden Through Time, and Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective is another one. It’s based on a book series, and it has lots of hidden objects and fun character interactions to uncover as you scan over the gorgeous scenes. All of the scenes tie together into one larger narrative, which is fun. I’m sure you know if this sort of thing is your bag or not. If it is, you’ll probably like this one. It’s very well-made. If not, I don’t know that you’ll have your mind changed here. I leave it up to you.
Risk System ($9.99)
This is a horizontal shoot-em-up that rewards you for taking big risks. Oh, that’s the title thing. Good job with that name, developers. Anyway, the idea here is that you power-up your ship’s offensive capabilities by pulling off wild stunts and flying close to the wire around enemy shots. Based on your performance, you’ll have different interactions with the characters in the story, ultimately leading to one of a variety of endings. Neat idea to help a game stand out in a very crowded genre.
Rogue Wizards ($14.99)
If you feel the need for a simple and light roguelite and have somehow exhausted all of the other options on the Switch, you may want to look into Rogue Wizards. It has an attractive presentation, gameplay that is relatively easy to pick up, and an upgrade system to give it a bit of texture. To be frank, I feel this game does too little to distinguish itself, but it’s not like it’s bad or anything. A little too easy for even my rather flexible tastes, but you can have a good time with it if you’re inclined to.
Red Colony 2 ($6.99)
The original Red Colony came out earlier this year and at the time I didn’t really know what to make of it as I hadn’t played it at the time. Well, I haven’t played this sequel either but having played that first game I can now set expectations appropriately. Red Colony was that weird kind of bad where it bordered on “so bad, it’s good", but sadly remained firmly on the side of “no, it’s just bad". It was buggy, the story was corny as heck, the puzzles were ridiculously easy, and the action was comically poor. Unless the developers have learned a whole lot in the last six months, I’m not expecting this to be much better.
Escape From a Deserted Island ~The Adventures of Nyanzou & Kumakichi: Escape Game Series~ ($4.90)
I think that’s officially the longest title we’ve seen yet on an eShop release, at least since I started doing these. It’s another comical escape room game from the developer behind the Cape games. I’ve played through this one on mobile. It’s fine. Five dollars seems about right for those who don’t want to deal with the ad-supported free mobile version. Not too difficulty, horribly translated, but both of those things make the game more memorable somehow.
Defend the Kingdom ($4.99)
Benjamin Kistler has made another purchase from the Unity Asset Store, and that means he has a brand-new “"original"" game for us to look at. This one is a bog-standard tower defense game with either 35 or 36 levels (the eShop description isn’t sure which), three different themes for said levels, three difficulty levels, a basic upgrade system, and the odd boss fight. Single player only, naturally. Surprisingly, you can play it in docked mode. Somebody put in some extra work! Probably not Ben, but hey, small steps!
Word Crush Hidden ($4.99)
Ha ha, oh Benjamin Kistler, please stop. You’re the worst. The worst ever. Worse than Sabec. You make LJN look like Nintendo EPD. Do you have any pride at all? I suppose not. Ben splashed out for this template, friends. He spent a whopping $218.90 on this template from the Unity Asset Store. Naturally, he didn’t implement any button controls. Probably wouldn’t even know how to do that. There are 1400 puzzles where you need to find the words. You’ve likely seen a game like this on mobile. Maybe several. Not like Kistler has the exclusive on this template, after all.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
There’s already a solid list of sales and there will surely be more by the time you read this. We’ll catch up on the rest of the lot tomorrow as usual. For now? Rabi-Ribi‘s as cheap as it’s ever been on Switch, and it’s a terrific game. Mercenaries Blaze is a solid turn-based tactical RPG, and The House in Fata Morgana has its first post-release discount. Discover yourself why it’s so highly rated! Or don’t, I’m not President Dad. There’s a fair bit in the outbox, and I’ll let you sort that out because I need to get home for dinner.
Select New Games on Sale
Rabi-Ribi ($20.99 from $29.99 until 7/15)
Great Conqueror: Rome ($6.99 from $9.99 until 7/15)
Metaverse Keeper ($10.49 from $14.99 until 7/15)
Mercenaries Blaze: DotTD ($13.99 from $19.99 until 7/15)
WarriOrb ($3.89 from $12.99 until 7/19)
Stone ($8.99 from $14.99 until 7/19)
Drive Buy ($12.49 from $24.99 until 7/22)
Art Sqool ($2.98 from $12.99 until 7/22)
Clumsy Rush ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/22)
Nirvana Pilot Yume ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/22)
OMG Police: Car Chase TV ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/22)
Cyber Protocol ($1.99 from $9.99 until 7/22)
Timothy vs the Aliens ($14.95 from $16.99 until 7/22)
Rogue Star Rescue ($13.49 from $14.99 until 7/23)
Debris Infinity ($3.74 from $4.99 until 7/26)
Wingspan ($13.39 from $19.99 until 7/28)
Immortal Planet ($5.99 from $14.99 until 7/28)
STAB STAB STAB! ($3.99 from $9.99 until 7/28)
Die for Valhalla! ($2.39 from $11.99 until 7/28)
Steamburg ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/28)
Tetsumo Party ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/28)
Save Me Mr Tako: Definitive ($11.99 from $14.99 until 7/29)
Sin Slayers ($1.99 from $19.99 until 7/29)
The House in Fata Morgana ($31.99 from $39.99 until 7/29)
Cthulhu Saves Christmas ($3.99 from $9.99 until 7/29)
Double Switch 25th Anniversary ($5.99 from $14.99 until 7/29)
Night Trap 25th Anniversary ($5.99 from $14.99 until 7/29)
Saturday Morning RPG ($3.99 from $9.99 until 7/29)
Vaporum: Lockdown ($14.73 from $21.99 until 7/29)
Uchu Shinshuchu ($4.00 from $8.00 until 7/29)
Revenge of the Bird King ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/29)
Ox Logic Puzzle 1000 ! ($7.00 from $14.00 until 7/29)
Number Place 10000 ($2.94 from $5.89 until 7/29)
Lazy Galaxy: Rebel Story ($5.27 from $7.99 until 8/3)
Merchant of the Skies ($9.89 from $14.99 until 8/3)
Wood Block Escape Puzzles 2 ($1.99 from $5.99 until 8/4)
Sakura in Gameland ($2.79 from $9.99 until 8/4)
Pretty Poker Girls Battle: FWE ($4.19 from $5.99 until 8/5)
Macrotis: A Mother’s Journey ($9.59 from $11.99 until 8/5)
ANIMUS: Revenant ($20.69 from $22.99 until 8/5)
Squad Killer ($3.49 from $4.99 until 8/5)
Drunken Fist ($4.79 from $7.99 until 8/5)
Project Starship X ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/5)
Takotan ($2.79 from $3.99 until 8/5)
Crawlco Block Knockers ($5.39 from $8.99 until 8/5)
Elemental Knights R ($2.00 from $8.64 until 8/5)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, July 16th
3D Billiards: Pool & Snooker ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
3D MiniGolf ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
99Vidas – Definitive ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
All-Star Fruit Racing ($6.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
Alphaset by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
AntVentor ($3.19 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Beat Me! ($2.59 from $12.99 until 7/16)
Block-A-Pix Deluxe ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Brawl Chess ($3.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
Car Driving Simulator ($14.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
Checkers Master ($3.99 from $4.99 until 7/16)
Chess Knights: Viking Lands ($1.99 from $3.99 until 7/16)
Ciel Fledge ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
Circle of Sumo ($2.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
Crypton by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Dogurai ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/16)
Dracula’s Legacy ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
Dungeon Solver ($1.99 from $3.99 until 7/16)
Dusk Diver ($17.49 from $34.99 until 7/16)
Epic Word Search Collection ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Epic Word Search Collection 2 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Escape from the Universe ($1.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
Fifty Words by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Fill-A-Pix: Phil’s Adventure ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Flatland Vol. 1 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/16)
Fly the Bird ($1.99 from $2.49 until 7/16)
Forgotten Tales: Day of the Dead ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/16)
Gal*Gun 2 ($14.99 from $29.99 until 7/16)
Gal*Gun Returns ($39.99 from $49.99 until 7/16)
Gemini ($1.99 from $3.99 until 7/16)
Gnomes Garden: New Home ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/16)
GODS Remastered ($2.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
Grave Danger ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
Gravity Heroes ($12.74 from $14.99 until 7/16)
Gun Gun Pixies ($22.49 from $49.99 until 7/16)
Hardcore Maze Cube ($1.99 from $2.49 until 7/16)
Hell Warders ($2.99 from $14.99 until 7/16)
Island Flight Simulator ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
Just a Phrase by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Knight’s Retreat ($1.99 from $3.99 until 7/16)
Kotodama: 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa ($8.99 from $29.99 until 7/16)
Ladders by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
LastFight ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
Link-A-Pix Deluxe ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia ($8.44 from $12.99 until 7/16)
Loopindex ($3.99 from $4.99 until 7/16)
Lost King’s Lullaby ($2.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
Mahjong Deluxe 3 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
Moai VI: Unexpected Guests ($9.49 from $18.99 until 7/16)
Monster Energy Supercross ($4.49 from $29.99 until 7/16)
MotoGP 20 ($8.74 from $34.99 until 7/16)
Muddledash ($2.99 from $5.99 until 7/16)
My Diggy Dog 2 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
Mythic Ocean ($11.99 from $14.99 until 7/16)
Nippon Marathon ($2.99 from $14.99 until 7/16)
Our World Is Ended. ($12.49 from $49.99 until 7/16)
Pic-A-Pix Deluxe ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Pic-A-Pix Pieces ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Pix the Cat ($1.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
PlataGO! Platform Game Maker ($5.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
Quantum Replica ($8.49 from $9.99 until 7/16)
Raging Loop ($14.99 from $29.99 until 7/16)
RAZED ($5.99 from $11.99 until 7/16)
Red Rope: Don’t Fall Behind+ ($3.89 from $12.99 until 7/16)
Renzo Racer ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
Root Letter: Last Answer ($13.49 from $29.99 until 7/16)
Roundout by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Season Match ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
Season Match 2 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
Season Match 3 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
Secrets of Magic 2: W&W ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
Secrets of Magic: TBoS ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
Space Elite Force 2 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/16)
Spellkeeper ($1.99 from $5.99 until 7/16)
Sudoku Master ($2.39 from $2.99 until 7/16)
Supermarket Shriek ($13.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
Tales of the Orient: Rising Sun ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/16)
The Bunker ($6.49 from $12.99 until 7/16)
The Casebook of Arkady Smith ($2.00 from $8.99 until 7/16)
The Procession to Cavalry ($13.49 from $14.99 until 7/16)
The Unholy Society ($1.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
Tic-Tac-Letters by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Tiny Racer ($1.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
Tokyo School Life ($2.99 from $14.99 until 7/16)
Toy Stunt Bike: Tiptop’s Trials ($2.00 from $5.00 until 7/16)
UBERMOSH:OMEGA ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/16)
Valrithian Arc: Hero School Story ($2.99 from $14.99 until 7/16)
Viviette ($5.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
War Dogs: Red’s Return ($1.99 from $3.99 until 7/16)
Warborn ($14.99 from $24.99 until 7/16)
Word Puzzles by POWGI ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
Word Search by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Word Sudoku by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Word Wheel by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Wordsweeper by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Zen Chess Collection ($1.99 from $3.99 until 7/16)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with the rest of the releases for the week, including The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD and more. There should also be a bunch of sales to comb through, and I am not especially looking forward to typing them all out. I hope you all have a thrilling Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
